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Maupin designed the Windrose as an easy-to-construct, safe, self-launching, low-cost and aesthetically pleasing aircraft project that could be flown as a pure glider or a powered glider.[1][2]

The design has many innovative features and is of mixed construction using wood, foam and fiberglass. The wing is carved from solid foam and covered in fiberglass. There is no spar and instead the wing employs bands of unidirectional roving epoxied under the outer skin and joined by vertical dowels to take the compression loads from the underlying foam. The wing is of a 41.5 ft (12.6 m) span or, optionally, a 49.2 ft (15.0 m) span, and uses an Irv Culver custom airfoil. The ailerons are controlled from their inboard ends and there are no control runs inside the wings, which are solid.[1][2][4]

Unpowered version with a 315 lb (143 kg) empty weight and a 525 lb (238 kg) gross weight, first flown in June 1983.[1][2]

Windrose motor glider

Powered version with a 390 lb (177 kg) empty weight and a 600 lb (272 kg) gross weight, first flown in 1984. Take-off distance at sea level on a standard day is 500 ft (152 m) and the initial rate of climb is 500 fpm (2.5 m/s).[1][2]